


Lifestyle Choices

by Andraste



Category: due South
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, M/M/M, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-06-19
Updated: 2007-06-19
Packaged: 2017-10-06 00:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andraste/pseuds/Andraste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture, Ray Vecchio needs a bigger bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lifestyle Choices

It was love at first sight.

"That's the one," Ray said, striding confidently across the showroom in the direction of the king sized bed. No need to look any further, that was exactly what he'd been trying to find all afternoon.

"I'm not sure, Ray," Fraser said, "This store looks very expensive."

"That was the idea."

Kowalski patted Fraser on the shoulder. "If he wants to spend all his money buying us furniture, Fraser, you should just learn when to shut up."

While Ray Vecchio would be happy if he never laid eyes on Las Vegas again, there were a couple of things he missed, like sleeping on the finest mattress Mob money could buy. More than that, he was tired – literally – of trying to squeeze into queen sized bed with two other grown men. If Kowalski elbowed him in the face one more time, Ray was going to cut the arm off at the shoulder to save on space.

The object of his desire was a real beauty. Cherry with a solid but classic design. Ray rapped his knuckles on the frame and smiled. "This is going to look great in the front bedroom." He walked around it, appreciating the quality construction. Diefenbaker sniffed the wood and barked happily.

Kowalski bitched constantly about moving out to the 'burbs and Ray knew Fraser missed being able to walk everywhere, but there was no way they could have afforded a big enough place in the city. Ray didn't mind having things a little quieter, anyway. Now they had wardrobe space to hang their clothes – his clothes, anyway - and a spare room for when Fraser's sister came to town.

"I don't know," Kowalski said, "looks kind of fancy to me."

"I told you before we started. Nothing that looks like it came out of a garage sale, nothing we have to assemble ourselves, and definitely no logs."

"All wooden bed frames are made of logs, Ray," Fraser pointed out.

"Yeah, but they don't all advertise the fact by still having bark on them."

Kowalski climbed onto the bed on his hands and knees and bounced up and down experimentally, getting his dirty sneakers on the display covers while he was at it.

"Hey, do you mind?"

"It's going to have to stand up to a lot more punishment than that if we buy it."

Kowalski had a point. There _were_ three of them, and now that he'd finally taken the hint Fraser applied the same enthusiasm to their relationship he applied to crime fighting and ice hockey. Sometimes Ray worried that he would actually die from sex, but he thought it would probably be worth it.

He sat down beside Kowalski and tested the springs – not too hard, not too soft. "Seems solid enough to me."

Fraser was still scrutinizing the price tag with his disapproving Mountie look. "The cost of this bed could feed a dozen orphans in China for months."

"It's my money, and I'm not giving it to the Chinese orphans. I want somewhere comfortable to sleep."

Fraser frowned, but he did sit down. The three of them wriggled around until they were all lying side by side. The fit was cosy, but at least they weren't actually on top of each other, and there was plenty of leg room.

"The mattress seems very soft."

"Fraser, rocks could not sleep on your bed," Kowalski said. "Maybe Vecchio and I should have the bed and you can sleep on the floor."

Before anyone could object, Diefenbaker scrambled up onto the foot of the bed. He looked at Fraser and barked.

"I don't see how that's relevant," his human replied, "since you're not going to be sleeping on it in any case."

Dief looked hopefully at Ray and wuffed, beating his tail against the covers.

"Don't bother making those puppy dog eyes at me," Ray said. "You're not staying up here with us."

Diefenbaker whined and put his head down on his paws. Well, at least someone appreciated his taste in furniture, even if it was the damn dog.

"Excuse me?"

Ray looked up to see a sales assistant with a name tag that proclaimed he was Randy. The store was practically empty; maybe the rest of the staff had snuck out back for cigarettes during the lull.

"Yeah?" Ray crossed his legs and didn't sit up.

"I'm afraid that dogs aren't allowed in the store."

"Actually," Fraser put in. "He's not a dog, he's a wolf."

"A wolf?" The sales assistant took a step backwards. Diefenbaker wagged his tail maliciously.

"Don't mind him, Randy, he's just Canadian," Kowalski said.

"Are you planning to buy the bed?" Randy looked from Ray to Kowalski to Fraser to Diefenbaker, obviously trying to work out the proposed sleeping arrangements.

"Yes, _we_ are buying the bed." Ray said. "Me and these two guys here and the wolf. Is that a problem?"

"Uh," he said, swallowing hard. "No, sir, no problem at all. Will that be cash or credit?"

"Why don't you go away and let us think about it for a while?" Kowalski said.

Ray looked at him. Kowalski was not usually the diplomatic one, unless kicking people in the ribs instead of the head counted as diplomacy. "What's to talk about?" he asked, once the sales assistant was gone.

Kowalski turned to Fraser. "This is private Ray stuff, Frase," he said. "Why don't you take Dief to look at couches or something?"

"Ah," said Fraser. "I'll just ... be over there, then."

Once Fraser had retired to a safe distance, Ray turned to Kowalski. "Is there something you wanted to say to me?"

He twisted his hands in the covers, looking uncomfortable. "Fraser's right, it is really expensive."

Ray ran a hand over the headboard, appreciating the smooth finish. "Built to last." He planned to retire to this bed some day.

"Yeah, it seems pretty ... permanent."

He'd been wondering when they were going to have this conversation. A Saturday afternoon shopping trip didn't see like the time or the place. "Getting cold feet, Kowalski?"

He shook his head. "Nah. We should get it. I was just thinking I should make a contribution."

"I said I'd pay for it," Ray said. It had been the only way to be sure he'd get to pick it out himself. He couldn't believe he was buying furniture for a deranged Mountie and a guy who put pineapple on pizza, but that's the way things had turned out.

"It's our bed, Vecchio, we should pay for it together."

"I couldn't agree more," Fraser said, appearing out of nowhere. So much for privacy – the guy had the ears of a non-deaf wolf.

Ray sighed. "Benny, you don't have any money."

"I am not completely without resources."

"What, you're going to sell your hat?" Kowalski suggested. "We have it covered."

Ray was about to point out once again that _he_ was going to pay for the bed when Randy appeared.

"So have you gentlemen decided?"

Ray looked around and saw that a family with a couple of kids had just walked in the front door. Maybe Randy was worried that they'd frighten off the wildlife. It made him want to drag Fraser and Kowalski outside and never come back, but it would be stupid to give up a perfect bed because of a sales assistant with bad acne.

Ray shut his eyes, lay back, and saw the future. Pulling the covers over his head in protest when Fraser got up while it was still dark. Dragging Kowalski into the kitchen on work days with threats and the promise of coffee. Whole weekends of getting crumbs in the sheets and reading the newspaper. Sick days when Fraser would bring him juice and chicken soup and Kowalski would go down in sympathy. Year after year of fighting over who had the biggest share of the blankets.

"Yeah, we'll take it."

Vecchio put the bed on his credit card, told Kowalski he could pay him back later – not a chance in hell that would happen – and arranged for it to be delivered. They still had to do something about replacing the rest of the cruddy furniture, most of which had originally belonged to Kowalski, but the bed was the most important thing.

"Where to next?" Kowalski asked, holding the door open for the rest of them.

"We still have to pick out curtains," Fraser suggested with a smile.

Ray shook his head. Curtains! "When we're done, we're going to have to get beer and hot dogs and watch sports for a few hours just so my pride can recover."

Kowalski whacked him on the shoulder in a manly way and grinned a grin that made Ray want to go back and tell the store to deliver the bed _right now_.

"Sounds like a plan to me."


End file.
